QuoteReplyTopic: Breaking News! New Team Format for Tokyo 2020 Posted: 02/09/2018 at 5:37am

In the latest update on the Team World Cup 2018 page on February 9th, it is announced the former TBC system will be replaced by the new Olympic test playing system.

It's gonna be doubles first, followed by 4 singles, and the order of play is fixed after the coin toss, and thus no more mix-and-matching and 5-min breaks before and after the doubles.

TBC system:

3.7.6.3 Best of 5 matches (Olympic system, 4 singles and 1 doubles).3.7.6.3.1 A team shall consist of 3 players; each player shall compete in a maximum of 2 individual matches.3.7.6.3.2 The order of play shall be1) A v X2) B v Y3) doubles C & A or B v Z & X or Y4) B or A v Z5) C v Y or X

New Olympic test playing system:

The Team World Cup in London will be played with the new Olympic test playing system. The playing order will be as following:

BC vs YZ (Doubles);A vs X;C vs Z;A vs Y;B vs X

There will be no break during the team match because all 5 matches will be fixed after the toss procedure. The team match consist of maximum 1 double and 4 single matches.

Shame they changed the old Swaythling system, best of 9 singles, which was a much truer test of a 'Team' - and which worked fairly in the World Championships from 1926 to 1989. The Corbillon variant, best of 5, whatever order it runs in, is in part an attempt to spring an occasional surprise on China - which hasn't happened much in the Men's game (last time, Worlds 2000).

Is this to give an edge to Japan, since Japan has strong doubles against China (relative to singles)? I think CTTA should give a damn to ITTF and just play their own thing. Image one day that China will not play any international table tennis events.

Interesting strategy change for this format. If the match goes to a 4th game, a win or tie situation, then A will be playing Y. Y would have to very versatile because it’s in Doubles as well as the 4th too, but if the strongest player is A, it gets to play 2 singles out of the 4 (no Doubles), which may well be the deciding factor.All up front. No more juggling/switching partner for the Doubles immediately before, or switching possible for Team ABC afterwards in the 4th game. If there is a level difference between the 3 players, being ABC is desirable. But all the strategy notwithstanding, the coin toss now is so important!

Your personal opinion - which Japanese female pair is stronger now - Ito-Hayata or Ito-Hirano?

Hi...for the London games I’ll bench Hirano, based on performanes within the last 6 months, and specifically the last 3 tournaments.Look at her matches in the Grand Final and the All Japan, her speed, decisiveness, elan, confidence and steadfastness under fire were all gone, just dragging her heels. I believe her skill levels are actually up,better and different from Wuxi, but badly in need of a psychologist. She should consider one like Szocs did.As of this writing, for Doubles pairing I think Ito-Hayata is currently a better/proven combo,a LH/RH combination, but a difference in skill level. Myself I hope to see Hirano-Ito as a Doubles pair as they have been together as playmates and partners for a very very long time, and the tacit understanding is there. JNT broke them up almost a year ago because of a perceived difference in style (Hirano’s speed was cited as the reason), but Ito seems to have come out from the hole she went ino after Rio, and is showing significant improvements since her 11straight match wins in China’s AA, followed by a string of victoris in both singles and doubles, culminating in the Triple Crown in All Japan. I think JNT is considering Hirano-Ito as a pair again, they are entered as Doubles in Qatar. In the end only 3 can play in Tokyo, for MYSELF I’m hoping for Hirano-Ito-Hayata, have to see what develops in the next 19 months.

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